1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging for medical devices and, particularly, to methods and apparatuses for packaging medical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical devices that are designed for implantation into the human body, once manufactured, must be maintained in a sterile environment. Thus, in order to provide a medical device intended for implantation, sterile packaging that maintains the sterility of the medical device is used. Specifically, the medical device may be placed within the packaging and the packaging sealed. Then, the packaging is subjected to a sterilization process with the medical device sealed within the packaging.
In addition to maintaining the sterility of a medical device, medical device packaging must also protect the medical device from damage during transportation and delivery. To this end, various packaging designs have been utilized that immobilize the medical device within the packaging. Additionally, as certain medical devices are modular, i.e., they contain numerous, individual components that are combined by the surgeon to form a complete, implantable medical device, a separate, sterile package may be required for each individual component of the medical device. This increases the expense of inventorying the components of a medical device and also increases the time needed for and the cost of obtaining regulatory approval for each of the individual package designs.